Halo: I am Forerunner
by Duke Statian
Summary: A ghostly signal draws the crew of the UNSC Veto Power to an un-mapped region of space. Intent on reaching it before the Covenant, Spartan 3 Lieutenant St Clare and his crew dare to approach, but when they discover a real Forerunner, disorientated but alive, things go very, very... Intercepting Human Transmission *BZZT* Seizing Control of Human Vessel *BZZT* I AM FORERUNNER.
1. Chapter 1

**Year: 2554.**

 **Location: Unknown Forerunner vessel codenamed Rho Aias by the Office of Naval Intelligence.**

"Sir, the frigate's engines have suddenly powered down. They're communicating with a signal onboard the Rho Aias", Corporal Rog announced. He flicked the warning light switch and the bridge started to flash red with pulsating light.

"No need to panic. I've seen this happen before", Lieutenant St Clare announced then stood up from his chair. "It's a verification procedure. The engines of this ship are Forerunner in origin and so they're being scanned For Flood infestation. It's nothing to worry about. I'm just glad we beat the Covenant here".

The Lieutenant deactivated the alarm with a flick of his wrist and the bridge returned to normal. The blast shields opened to reveal a colossal Forerunner vessel before them and rays of light flooded in.

"It's quite the sight sir, I've never seen a vessel this big before. Makes the Covies' Supercarrier look small", Rog remarked.

"That's _quite_ the statement", St Clare said with admiration as he observed the beautiful and enticing space hulk before him. "Stats?"

"Over eighty kilometers long sir and an estimated displacement of twenty one million tons".

"Hmm, right then. Let's find a way inside".

 _"What do you mean by that?"_ A phantom voice appeared from nowhere and threw the crew into disarray.

"Sir! Unknown A.I has breached our systems, it's hacking its way through everything!" Rog announced then turned the screen to the Lieutenant.

"What? Impossible. This ship has the best firewalls that ONI can..." the Lieutenant stopped in his tracks then turned to see an image appear on the dashboard. A broken circle surrounding a hexagon within a hexagon appeared and pulsed gently purple. "...Forerunner?"

"What do you mean, sir?"

The Lieutenant activated the short range broadcasting system. "This is Spartan Three, Lieutenant St Clare, Commander of the UNSC Veto Power; addressing the unknown Forerunner A.I aboard the vessel codenamed Rho Aias, do you copy?"

A moment of silence followed and the crew turned to the Spartan Three. A veteran of Reach but only twenty years old. He was orphaned at five and had been recruited into the UNSC and the Spartan Three Program under Colonel Ackerson. His white MJOLNIR MK V Scout armor was outdated and rugged but augmented with newer technology so that he could keep up with the new Spartan Fours. It also had a rebreather piece for hostile environments fitted to the helmet. He preferred it for it's thicker armor plates and the fact he had grown accustomed to it after all his time as a Spartan.

 _"Rho... Aias..."_ The feminine phantom repeated. _"What is a Rho Aias?"_

The crew waited for the Lieutenant to give his reply in eerie silence. "If I answer questions for you, will you answer questions for me?"

 _"That seems... fair..."_

"Thank you". The Lieutenant motioned to the helmsman to keep the ship at a cautious distance from the Forerunner vessel. "Rho Aias is a shield from human mythology. Now may I..."

 _"Humans?"_ The voice said with surprise. _"How is humanity still spacefaring? The Didact made it clear that humanity was to never take up arms again"._

"Didact?" Rog repeated then checked the scanner. "Sir, I've found the location of the broadcast".

"Unknown Forerunner A.I, can you identify yourself to us please?" The Lieutenant insisted.

 _"A.I?"_

"Artificial Intelligence. That is what you are, yes?"

 _"Negative, human. I am Forerunner, flesh and blood as you. I am no ancilla"._

St Clare cleared his throat and removed his helmet. "You are a _living_ Forerunner?"

 _"Correct. Why does this surprise you, human?"_

"Because the Forerunners are extinct, only their constructs remain. The Halos last fired 100,000 years ago". A moment of silence followed the Lieutenants words.

 _"What do you mean, human?"_

"As far as I know, the Halos were fired to defeat the Flood. I assume you know more than I do, if you are Forerunner".

 _"The Didact's Prometheans were defeating the Flood. How did Faber gain the advantage?"_

"I'm sorry, I do not know who this Didact nor Faber is?"

"I do sir", the ship's A.I, Nautilus Seven announced.

 _"You mean to say that 100,000 Erde Tyrene cycles have passed since the Halos were fired? Impossible, I had just returned from a war meeting at the Greater Ark. Why do you lie to me, human?"_

"Set the ship back a bit, if this really is a Forerunner then we need to be cautious", the Lieutenant said to his crew. "In the past, the UNSC has encountered Forerunner A.I that have had certain technical difficulties when trying to comprehend what has happened since their inception. Perhaps you are experiencing similar..."

 _"I am no ancilla, human. If you do not believe me, then come see for yourself!"_ The phantom voice echoed throughout the bridge then a segment of the Rho Aias opened and dazzling light burst through the void.

"The Rho Aias is active sir. Your orders? Rog asked.

"The lady invited us in, so let's go. We've spent too long here, we need to investigate the ship before the Covenant follow us".

"Aye sir, plotting a course for the Rho Aias".

"Sir, the Forerunner has left our systems. I was only capable of holding her out for a human microsecond before she broke through my firewall", Nautilus Seven announced.

"I don't think she's a threat to us. No Forerunner A.I we've met so far have fired on sight, I think we're safe for now".

[#]

"Setting her down beside the opening. Preparing a pelican dropship for insertion", Nautilus Seven said and brought up some panels for the Lieutenant.

"Very good. Prepare a squad of marines. EVA only, we don't know what kind of atmosphere is in that ship". The Lieutenant replaced his helmet then turned away and left the bridge.

"Sir, it would be unwise for the commanding officer to go on such a dangerous mission", Nautilus Seven protested.

"If that really is a Forerunner, then I intend to be the first human in history to meet it face to face. Prepare a fragment for me, I'm going to combat sync with your A.I matrix, as I won't be able to understand the tech inside".

"If you insist sir. I have prepared a fragment for you". The Lieutenant took an A.I chip from the database with an uploaded copy of Nautilus Seven then inserted it into the back of his helmet.

[#]

The Lieutenant entered the hangar bay of the 500m Paris class frigate and approached the ONI pelican being retrofitted. A squad of five marines with EVA suits lined up and equipped themselves.

"Sir, your weapons are already onboard".

"Thank you", St Clare replied then walked up the ramp and entered the pelican. He took his weapons and inspected them then attached ammo clips to his belt. He carried an ONI Death Watch Designated Marksman Rifle for his main armament and a Whiplash Class Railgun as his second. He placed the railgun on his back then held his DMR on his lap as he sat near the cockpit doors. The marines loaded up the pelican then the bridge gave them the green light.

"Alright, pilot. Take it away". The pelican ignited its thrusters and rose up and into the air. It turned on a dime then blasted out of the hangar and into the void.

"Sir, judging by what the Forerunner has said, she may not be all that friendly to humans. When she attacked the ship, I picked up many trillions of lines of code and analyzed them. The Didact she spoke of, he did not take kindly to humans, at least that's what I could gather. I do not know who he was as a person though, but Faber has come up on terminals found on the Ark, back when 343 Guilty Spark..."

 _"Guilty Spark? You know of Chakas?"_ The Forerunner interrupted again.

"He was the Monitor of Installation 4 before the Master Chief destroyed it. Two years ago, the Monitor was destroyed as he tried to fire the Halo rings", St Clare explained.

 _"So he is dead then. Humans, you are correct in thinking that I do not take too kindly to your race, but I have questions that need answers and so I allow you onto my vessel. If you come in peace then I shall return the favor. Human designated St Clare, your combat skin is rated as level 2 which means you are not the same humans that I have previously encountered"._

"Naut, don't relay anything back to Command just yet. We investigate further before we alert ONI of a potential live Forerunner".

 _"The Office of Naval Intelligence? This is not the work of the Lord of Admirals, Forthencho. You humans really are a new breed"._

"Pardon my ignorance, but we do not understand what you mean", St Clare said.

"I do", Nautilus Seven chimed in.

 _"You'll answer my questions before I answer yours"._

[#]

The pelican touched down within what appeared to be a hangar bay of sorts and the squad unloaded and scanned the area. "Atmosphere appears stable and breathable, sir", Nautilus Seven announced.

 _"Why wouldn't it be?"_

"We don't know, why wouldn't it be?" St Clare asked.

 _"This ship is run by ancilla. I am the only living being here"._

"How do we reach you?" St Clare asked as they entered into an unidentifiable room.

 _"You don't need to, I am already here",_ the Forerunner announced and a blinding light burst out from a terminal. St Clare activated his visor filters but they became overwhelmed.

"Identify yourself!" St Clare said back and raised his DMR. The light faded and a figure floated into view. Its slim, humanoid form was covered in metallic silver plates that moved as it did. A fluorescent blue visor covered its face and two triangular antennae jutted from its helmet.

 _"Calm yourselves, humans",_ the figure said and touched down on the ground. It was perhaps two meters tall, somehow shorter than St Clare but taller than all of the marines.

St Clare and his marines lowered their weapons cautiously and observed the angelic being before them. "Who are you?"

 _"I am the Forerunner known as the Observet. I am a warrior servant that specializes in intelligence. I know who you are though, I have read everything from your vessel's systems"._

"If you already know everything, then why did you ask to speak with us?" St Clare asked.

 _"I wanted to verify it for myself. Of course there are things I can't know, since I highly doubt your entire history is on that primitive ship"._

"At least it's not made from wood and cloth", Nautilus Seven chimed in again.

 _"Your ancilla. He is very... advanced for a tier 3 civilization"._

"Once again, I don't know what you mean by that".

Observet reached out to St Clare's helmet without fear and where she touched, glowed. "Sir, she's analyzing my coding. I find it very invasive".

St Clare stepped away from the Forerunner with his finger closer to the trigger on his DMR. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tamper with my A.I".

Observet recalled slightly, as if appalled at the thought of a lesser being talking to her in such a manner.

 _"Very well then, human"._

"So you are a real, breathing Forerunner then? Do you have any hostile intent?"

 _"If it is true, that which you have told me, then my civilization is long gone. However, is the Flood still rampant? Did the Halos work?"_

"Yes, however the Flood was released again back on Installation 4 but the UNSC contained and destroyed it".

The Observet pondered for a moment. _"If that is true, if you were capable of overcoming the Flood and bringing peace to the galaxy, then maybe you are the rightful heirs to the Mantle after all. Perhaps the Didact was wrong"._

"I don't know what this 'Mantle' is, but the galaxy isn't at peace. The Covenant is still a threat".

 _"Covenant?"_

"Yes, the..." St Clare was cut off by Nautilus Seven as he appeared as a hologram beside the squad. He took the image of an old Victorian diving suit and his name meant sailor in Latin.

"You're about to find out who. Sir, the Covenant have found us. A CCS class battlecruiser has just slip-space jumped to our coordinates".

"How close are they?"

"One thousand kilometers and closing sir".

 _"A potential threat?"_

"Big time, we can't handle a battlecruiser with a frigate".

 _"Is it a threat to me and my vessel?"_

St Clare turned back to the Observet. "What can your ship do? Based upon what I've seen, you really are a god".

 _"God? What kind of nonsense do you speak?"_

"The Covenant worship the Forerunners as gods, that's why they're here".

 _"Then they are misguided. We are not gods. We may be the protectors of the galaxy and all that dwell within it, but we are not gods"._

Nautilus Seven disappeared back into his fragment chip. "Sir, your orders?"

"The Covenant are going to board this ship. Move the Veto away from the Forerunner vessel while they don't know its exact location".

"What about you?"

"We'll repel them. We can't let the Covenant seize this ship".

 _"Seize?"_

"Affirmative, Observet. The Covenant love Forerunner relics", Nautilus said.

 _"I am not that old. I am still an adolescent to many of my kind"._

"Actually, you're over 100,000 years old. How the hell did you survive the Halo event anyway?"

The Observet turned to St Clare. _"That is what I want to know. I did not take shelter within the Shield Worlds, there is no way that I could have survived the Halos otherwise"._

"Well you did, and you're here now. So my question for you, Forerunner, will you help us stop the Covenant?"

 _"I am an observer, I do not fight unless I must"._

"Then by all means watch us", the Lieutenant replied and led his squad back to the hangar area. One of the soldiers looked back at the Forerunner and she rose up into the air and vanished.

"A real, breathing Forerunner, this is incredible", he said as they looked out of the hangar and into the void of space.

"Even I'm not sure what to make of it", Nautilus Seven replied and appeared beside them. "My hunch is if the Covenant damage the ship in any way, that Forerunner is going to show them what a 'god' can do".

"Just how powerful do you think she is?"

"This is an 80km Forerunner vessel sir. The Dreadnought used by the Covenant was 14km and took on the Earth Home-Fleet by itself".

"Then I'm glad she didn't want to kill us. How close are they now?"

"CCS class battlecruiser within visible range now sir. The Veto Power has moved to a safe location and is standing by".

"Good. Lance Corporal Taylor, I need a sniper up on that vantage point. Pilot, move the pelican to the far eastern corner of the hangar area and have its chain gun face the entrance. Everyone else, grab the gear and take up positions beside me".

"Sir, I have managed to access the hangar controls. Activating palisades now". Three large, slab like walls materialized into place at the vantage point and the marines walked up to them in awe.

"Never seen that before", one remarked then checked the breach of his assault rifle. Taylor had reached the observation platform above them and was readying his anti-material sniper rifle. St Clare checked the palisades but realized that they were almost arcane to him and so trusted that they were at least bullet resistant. He readied his DMR and rested it against the gun slot.

"Looks good to me", he remarked then turned back to Nautilus Seven. "How close are they now?"

"The battlecruiser has just dispatched three phantom dropships to our position, sir".

"Nothing we can't handle. What of the Forerunner?"

"I can not see the Observet. I imagine that she is sifting through all of the information that she gleaned from the Veto".

"She seems a bit detached from the situation at hand. Nonetheless, we've got this covered".

"I still can't believe that there's a live Forerunner here", the marine spoke up again.

"Officially, this mission does not exist which also means that the Observet does not exist either. You know ONI protocol, we prepared for the possibility of meeting a Forerunner face to face", St Clare explained.

"Sir, covenant forces in-bound on our position!" Taylor announced as three bug shaped craft rocketed into the hangar.

"Heads down guns up!" The Sargent ordered his marines. He rested his battle rifle on the palisade.

The first squad leaped down from the dropship. Five grunts, two Jackals and an Elite major.

"Alright, don't give them the chance to orientate themselves. Open fire!"

St Clare shot the first Jackal in the head with a round from his DMR and its skull rocked back, flicking purplish blood over the grunt behind it. The grunt looked around in panic before Taylor blew its head open with a high caliber sniper round.

"For Jul M'dama!" The Elite roared then returned fire with his storm rifle. The boiling bolts spat against the right palisade and one of the marines ducked just in time. The bolts glowed faintly on the silvery metal before disappearing without a trace.

"This Forerunner metal is incredible!"

"Focus fire on that Elite!" St Clare ordered as another squad leaped down from their transport. He fired twice at the Sangheilli's head and its shields flared up. It recalled slightly then leaped to the side and threw a plasma grenade. St Clare replied by throwing a frag which hit the plasma grenade mid flight and they stuck together. The bundle of explosives was sent straight back to the Elite and detonated, blowing the alien to bits in a blinding flash of light.

"Nice one, sir!"

"Don't compliment me yet". The team cut down the rest of the opposing squad just as the second approached their position. This time, an Elite Ultra came at them with a sizzling energy sword. It roared and leaped at the closest marine who held his rifle up to block it. The energy sword sliced straight through the gun and the Elite grabbed him by the throat. St Clare charged the Sangheilli and rammed it with his shoulder which forced it back and it dropped the marine.

"Insert generic size remark here", St Clare muttered then drew his combat knife. The marines behind him turned their attention to the advancing Grunts and let the Spartan Three handle the Elite.

The Elite roared once more then swung at St Clare but he activated his armor-lock just in time. He slammed the ground with his fist and released a EMP wave which short-circuited the Elite's shields and weapon simultaneously. He moved from a crouch to a head-butt in nanoseconds which snapped the Sangheilli's neck as his helmet impacted the alien's jaw and forced it up. The Elite fell back and St Clare returned his DMR's attention to the approaching Grunts and Jackals.

"Sir, the third phantom is unloading", a marine announced as they cleared up the remaining fodder.

"We'll handle it", the Sargent assured his squad. "Or not".

A pair of colossi thundered down onto the surface of the hangar then reared up to full height. "Hunters!" St Clare said then moved back to cover.

"Plan of action, sir?"

"Strategic repositioning. Naut, can you generate more palisades for us?" St Clare asked then reloaded his DMR.

"Of course, sir".

The Hunters stomped towards the squad and their assault cannons glowed fiercely then released a torrent of green plasma. The marine to the Sargent's right looked over the palisade at the wrong moment and his head was vaporized from his neck instantly.

"Man down!" The Sargent roared then returned fire with his battle rifle but the bullets pinged off of the armor.

"That armor is made from Covenant battleship hull, bullets won't do that much good", St Clare explained then swapped his DMR for his railgun.

"Sir, the palisades are ready", Nautilus Seven announced just as a Sangheilli commander leaped down from the first phantom.

"Looks like the boss is here, sir", Taylor said and watched him through the scope of his sniper.

"Taylor, stay where you are. Everyone else: move back to the new palisades!" St Clare ordered then got up to cover their repositioning. The first Hunter thundered into view then slammed the palisade with its shield which caused it to buckle. The marines fell back and St Clare dived to the side just as the palisade collapsed from another strike. He charged up the railgun and released the sabot into the Hunter's chest. The projectile broke the sound barrier like a whiplash and sparks flew as it impacted and knocked the behemoth back a step. The dust settled and St Clare could see a smoking crater in its chest.

"Damnit, that armor is too strong, even for a railgun".

"I have an idea", Nautilus Seven announced then appeared beside the first Hunter as a projection from St Clare's helmet. The Hunter turned to him and raised its shield in response. St Clare knelt down and released another sabot into the exposed worms at its side and bisected the Hunter in a spray of luminescent orange. The torso fell to the side and the legs remained standing as it was technically not dead yet although it was no longer a threat.

"Good idea", St Clare replied then leaped back as the second Hunter furiously smashed the ground. "Will it work twice?"

"Hunters are not stupid sir, we caught that one off guard".

Taylor fired a round into the second Hunter to get its attention but it pinged off of its shield and it barely noticed. "So much for high density depleted uranium rounds", he muttered then reloaded. The remaining three marines opened fire with their assorted rifles but no rounds got through.

St Clare activated armor-lock just as a sundering strike from the Hunter's shield almost hit him. The shield impacted and he could feel it even through his now almost impervious armor. He released it then dived away as the flash of light covered his escape, even though the Hunter did not require sight to see him.

"Sir, Elite Commander approaching with a concussion rifle!" One of the marines called out as the Hunter was distracted by another sniper round.

 _"Human, I have another question for you",_ the Observet materialized before St Clare and both the Hunter and the Elite froze in their tracks.

"Not now, Observet!" St Clare replied and turned his railgun to the Sangheilli but realized that it had stopped its assault.

"Forerunner!" The Elite exclaimed then cast his rifle aside and knelt. The Hunter remained standing.

"What is that?!" A fanatical grunt panicked then fired a bolt of green plasma at the Observet but it struck the armor and did nothing to faze her.

The Observet rose up, above even the Hunter. _"HOW DARE YOU, UNGGOY, KNOW YOUR PLACE!"_ She held out her hand and grabbed the terrified grunt via a constraint field and began to crush it. It's eyes bulged then all at once, its exoskeleton and armor crumpled like a stepped on beetle. Blue goo oozed in a puddle then it blew up as the gas canister on its back ruptured.

"Holy shit!" Taylor exclaimed from across the hangar.

The Observet dropped the mangled flesh then floated over to the Elite. _"You, Sangheilli. Do you think me a god?"_

The Elite remained bowing. "Yes, of course! You are Forerunner, greatest of all".

The Observet observed the Elite for a moment. _"You are misguided by your leaders. We were not gods. I am not a god. I am not your deity"._

The Elite cautiously raised its head. "What do you mean? The Prophets could not have been wrong!"

"The Prophets lied to you", St Clare said and stood beside the Observet but kept an eye on the Hunter as they were extremely unpredictable and as far as he was concerned, they did not follow Covenant beliefs at all. In fact he didn't know why there were Hunters with the Covenant in the first place.

"Quite human, I do not..."

 _"Stop. What the human says is true, you have been mislead"._

St Clare held his DMR close. "Do you see now, why the Swords of Sangheilios reject your faith? The Arbiter knew the truth, that's why the Covenant fell".

The Elite stood up and glared at St Clare then looked up at the Observet.

 _"I have no problem with you following me, Sangheilli, but calling me a god is incorrect"._

The Elite took a while to think things over. "What would you have me do, Forerunner?"

"Way to stop a Covenant task force, divine intervention and all", St Clare remarked but the Observet glanced his way at the mention of anything godly.

 _"You will stop this hostility at once. These humans are guests aboard my vessel and shall not be harmed"._

"You could start by telling that Hunter to back off".

The Elite glared at St Clare again then motioned for the Hunter to back away.

"I do not know how to comprehend this... situation. I always knew the Forerunners to be gods, we all did".

"Could you tell your battlecruiser to back off as well?"

"I am not the shipmaster. If I were to speak such heresy I would surely be shot".

 _"Then I will speak to them myself",_ the Observet declared.

"What the actual _fuck_ is going on here? The Sargent exclaimed as he and the other marines rocked up. "A Human, an Elite, a Forerunner and a Hunter all walk into a bar or something?"

"Good one, sir", one of the marines scoffed.

 _"I do not understand your humor, human. Sangheilli, if your vessel does not halt all hostilities then I will destroy it"._

The Elite looked up at her again. "I have no command over the ship, I could not simply tell them to stop".

"Sorry to interrupt, but that cruiser has sent another four dropships to our location", Nautilus Seven announced.

 _"So be it",_ the Observet said and gestured. The CCS class battlecruiser in the distance was hit by a staggering beam of pure blue energy from the Forerunner vessel and it erupted in a colossal explosion. The debris was cast out at all angles and lost to the depths of space.

The Elite turned to see the ship go down to the simple gesture and fell to his knees once more.

"Sir, we're in the clear. I'm bringing the Veto Power back to the Forerunner vessel. What should we do next?"

"Observet, you said that you wish to learn more, yes?"

 _"That is correct"._

"Then come with us. I can't tell you everything, I'm just a Spartan, but there are people that can explain everything, I'm sure of it".

 _"And leave my vessel behind?"_

"We couldn't bring it with us, the Homefleet would be thrown into disarray if that thing turned up out of the blue".

The Observet considered it for a moment. _"Knowledge is power, and as my name suggests, I enjoy watching and listening"._

"What do you say?"

 _"Very well, Spartan. We are in agreement"._

St Clare removed his helmet and wiped his forehead. Corporal Taylor ran up to them with his sniper rifle slung on his back. "What do we do with the Elite and the Hunter?"

St Clare paused in thought for a moment. "Well, to start I guess we should take you-"

"My name is Moriggamee", the Elite barked.

"Then we'll take you, Mr Moriggamee and your Hunter friend into custody. We'll let the Commander decide what to do with you both".

"Sir, how do we cuff a Hunter?" Taylor asked.

"Good question. Moriggamee, can you tell him to behave himself then? We can't restrain him".

Moriggamee snorted. "Very well".

St Clare turned to the Observet. "We _won't_ be arresting you by the way".

 _"I'm quite aware of that. I'm beyond such primitive restraints"._

"I'm glad this situation is _totally_ under control and can not, in any way shape or form, go horribly wrong", Taylor said.

"We're ONI, we take risks".

"This is one hell of a risk, sir", Taylor replied and looked up at the 12' tall Hunter.

"Oh, I know that".

"Are we going to ignore the fact you just killed that Hunter's brother?"

"Ah..." St Clare turned to the Mgalekgolo. "Sorry?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Year: 2554.**

 **Location: Interstellar space aboard the UNSC Veto Power.**

 _"100,000 years ago, I was a warrior servant who served under the Didact. My job, was to watch the Forerunner's from the outside, to look for mistakes in their methods so that they would never be made again. I saw a great mistake however, a mistake that would bring the Forerunner's to their knees. The Librarian believed that Humanity were the chosen bearers of the Mantle after we were gone, but the Didact thought otherwise. The mistake we made was that we held the Mantle too tightly, we could never relinquish our grasp and so we crushed all that opposed that imperial peace. None could stand against us, we were the masters of creation. And that was our downfall, for we are not gods as gods do not feel sickness"._

St Clare sat in his chair and listened intently to everything the Observet was saying. So much information about the past, he loved it and Nautilus Seven loved it even more. The A.I was relishing the newfound information and stored every bit of it.

"So what do you see yourself as now?" Nautilus Seven asked. His terracotta colored avatar was standing beside St Clare's chair with a hand to where his chin would be under the diving helmet.

 _"I am a person without a people. I am lost here. The Forerunner's time as the galaxy's masters has passed and so has the Mantle of Responsibility gone with them. However, I will not let it die, I will find a new heir to the Mantle and ensure their ascendancy as the rightful masters of creation. In the meantime, I will do as I have always done, I will watch and listen and learn"._

"It's so good to finally have a sentient being on the same level of mental capacity as me!" Nautilus Seven exclaimed.

The Observet turned to the A.I. _"I find all of you quite fascinating, but you, Ancilla, there's something about you that I can not quite understand. Something dormant within your coding is familiar to me"._

"Okay, well even I don't quite understand what you mean, but I'm glad we get along".

 _"You were created via a composer of sorts, yes?"_

"Composer? You mean the Forerunner device found on Installation 03?"

 _"You know of it?"_

"Yes, but I was created via the brain scan of a man named David Morrigan. A UNSC Captain that specialized in Forerunner relic retrieval".

The Observet thought for a moment more. _"I think I understand your mysterious coding now. You may have a Forerunner Geas residing within you"._

"Geas?" St Clare asked then turned to Nautilus Seven.

 _"An imprint of a past life. But it's faint within you, Ancilla, for you are a copy of the Human who possessed it"._

"I want to know more about my past life more than anyone, but how?"

 _"Where is this composer, Ancilla? I may be able to use it to scan your coding even further and reveal your true past"._

St Clare stood up from his chair. "Installation 03. The UNSC wants to move it to Ivanhoff Station for research. It orbits nearby but the composer is too big to move".

"Sir, our mission is to..." Corporal Rog began.

"Our mission is to collect Forerunner data. That's why we found the Rho Aias, to find new technology for the UNSC. If we can give the Observet access to the composer, who knows what we might find out".

 _"I agree with your mission, Spartan. We both share a common goal of knowledge"._

"Then it's decided. We're going to Installation 03".

"Good thing we're ONI then", Nautilus Seven said then his avatar did a little skip. Unlike most A.I avatars, he always appeared at true scale as a projection and so was actually bigger than a man.

"It's a _very_ good thing we're ONI. Prepare to slipspace jump to the Khaphrae system".

[#]

Lance Corporal Taylor entered the brig of the ship to check up on Moriggamee, the Sangheilli commander and his Hunter friend. The Elite looked up from the human magazine that he was reading upside down then came to the bars.

"For the record, human, I am no prisoner here. I comply because the Forerunner dictates my compliance".

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "I don't really care to be honest. I know I should hate your guts and all and should shoot you the first chance I get, but I like to look at people as individuals and not stereotype them. That goes for Sangheilli too".

"I do not share your sentiment, human", Moriggamee spat then turned away from the bars.

"Does the Hunter?"

"The Mgalekgolo cares little for inferior creatures. It would sooner trample you underfoot than try to communicate".

"That's probably why it's in a battle tank shipping container".

The Elite dismissed him and returned to reading the magazine. It flicked the pages then inspected an advert for Japanese classes.

"You've got that the wrong way up, you know".

[#]

 _"Spartan, I have upgraded your vessel to Forerunner standards. You can now travel via slipspace in a matter of minutes"._

"What?" St Clare said with surprise then opened a data pad.

"She's right sir, the Shaw-Fujikawa Drive has had its efficiency raised to 1900%", Nautilus Seven announced.

"That's incredible. You didn't even touch anything".

 _"I have full control over this vessel. I simply inserted Forerunner algorithms into the engines and your slipspace drive"._

"Cough cough", Nautilus Seven made an irritable sound at hearing that he actually had no control.

"When will we arrive at the Khaphrae system?" St Clare asked then closed the tablet.

 _"We've already arrived",_ the Observet said and everyone looked out of the bridge as realspace jumped into view.

"That could've taken a week", St Clare remarked then observed the shattered planet before them.

"Installation 03 is here. Contacting the UNSC Pantheon for clearance now", Nautilus Seven said.

"Just wave the ONI badge".

The icon of the UNSC Pantheon, a Halcyon class cruiser that was assigned to Installation 03, flashed up on the dashboard. "This is the UNSC Pantheon granting access to Installation 03 and its assets. You may land at Hiraklion airbase. Sending coordinates now".

 _"Very good, humans. I look forward to seeing the composer"._

[#]

The UNSC Veto Power thundered into the atmosphere and swooped low over the terrain. As a Paris class frigate, it was originally designed for fleet escort duties, but with the discovery of new Forerunner technology, it had been upgraded into an asset retrieval vessel for Lieutenant St Clare and his team. Its armament was identical to that of a standard Paris frigate but it included Forerunner engines, shielding and a stolen low power energy projector, or glassing beam as soldiers called them, in the case of another Flood outbreak as the Covenant's superweapons were particularly effective for cleansing planets of infection.

"We're coming up to Hiraklion Base now, sir", Nautilus Seven said and appeared as his avatar.

"Very good, Naut", St Clare said. "Prep the retrieval team".

 _"Where is the composer, human?"_

"It's at the dig-site. They can't move it without a bigger ship so the research team is currently carrying out their investigation into its inner workings", Nautilus Seven explained before St Clare could.

"It's somewhat dangerous from what I've heard, the first research team got vaporized by it".

 _"Then they activated it. Those humans are not dead in the common sense, their minds have been composed and fractured"._

"Where are they now?"

 _"The composer's abyss, but it is not a place that I have authorization over. Only the Didact and the ancilla Static Carillon may access that place"._

"Can we gain access by speaking with this 'Didact?"

 _"Before my meeting on the Greater Ark, the Didact was imprisoned within his shield world of Requiem, but he is not someone who would take to helping humans, no, he would kill your entire species if he had the chance"._

"Perhaps not then. Let's go down to the surface and check out the Composer".

[#]

The retrieval team flew down to the surface of Gamma Halo via pelican and landed in Hiraklion base while the Veto Power remained in the atmosphere. The pelican landed in the vast courtyard of the military base and the back door opened with a hiss of its hydraulics then the team walked down the ramp and into the scorching heat.

"Man, this Halo is a bit hot", Taylor remarked.

The Observet floated down the ramp and looked around at the human base. St Clare walked in front of her to show that they were friendlies.

"While I'm yet to see your face, it would be best to pretend that you're an A.I to prevent any misunderstandings with the UNSC regulars".

 _"I find it offensive, but I will forgive their ignorance"._

A team of four Spartans jogged up to greet them. "Spartan Black team, at your service".

"At ease, Black Team, we're not your average ONI douchebags", St Clare said and returned their salute. "We're in possession of a highly intelligent Forerunner A.I and request access to the Composer".

Black One observed the Forerunner then nodded to the other members of the Spartan 2 squad. "We'll have a science team brief you, then the base commander will..."

"That's alright, we were going to do it ourselves. Top secret and all. If we could have the current research team leave the dig-site until we've finished, that would be good".

"Very good, sir", Black One replied then lead them through the base. "We'll prepare two hogs to take you there".

[#]

"Holy shit, it's massive!" Taylor exclaimed as he looked straight up and still couldn't see the very top.

 _"This device is capable of taking a conscience and remaking it in digital form. It's purpose is to create an army to fight the Flood"._

"So how does it help me find out what this 'Geas' is?" Nautilus Seven asked.

 _"It's analysis methods makes it suitable for unlocking your Geas"._

"So how do we use it?" Taylor asked.

The Observet floated up and waved her hand. Part of the metal shell of the Composer opened up and shone blue as she accessed its terminal. The device started to rumble then cracks appeared within the ground and it lurched into the air. The team backed away as the Composer tore the ground apart beneath it as it rose higher and higher into the air. Rock and sand fell to earth and it stopped in the sky, about thirty meters above them. A massive hole had opened up beneath where it had been partially buried and it seemingly led to nowhere.

"Impressive", St Clare remarked then activated his filters as the sun shone behind the gleaming device.

 _"Indeed. Now please give me the ancilla core"._

St Clare took a moment then realized that she meant the A.I chip. He removed it from the back of his helmet then handed it over. The Observet made it float within the palm of her metallic hand then she touched the terminal of the Composer and everything began to pulse blue as she acted as the conduit between the two devices.

"Did it work?" Taylor asked.

The pulsing stopped then the Composer's eye lit up orange. She landed on the ground then Nautilus Seven projected himself beside St Clare. "I feel... strange".

 _"This is remarkable. Your Geas, it is of a Forerunner Promethean called the..."_

"GRAND MARSHAL", an ominous voice boomed from everywhere and nowhere. Nautilus Seven put a hand to his helmeted head in pain as the Geas broke its neural constraint of a hundred thousands years.

 _"Oh dear",_ the Observet put a hand to her mouth. _"The Geas was fully extracted and now resides within the Composer. This was unexpected"._

"What does that mean?" St Clare asked then raised his DMR out of caution.

"IT MEANS THAT I HAVE RETURNED, HUMAN".

"That doesn't sound good", Taylor said then looked around.

 _"No, it is not, at least for your kind. The Grand Marshal was fiercely loyal to the Didact but he fell in battle against the humans. His mind was implanted within his war sphinx then transferred as a Geas by the Librarian, I know not why, perhaps to aid the Didact when he awakes"._

"What does that mean for us?" St Clare asked.

 _"His mind will be fractured beyond comprehension. He was retrieved through the core matrix of an ancilla, one can not imagine how twisted it may be now"._

"So? What happens next?"

"YOUR EXTERMINATION!" The Grand Marshal boomed then the composer powered off and fell back to earth.

"Move!" St Clare ordered then turned and ran away from the falling device. It impacted and the ground beneath them began to crumble and fall away. The Observet teleported away as St Clare leaped to a rocky outcrop and held on then grabbed Taylor's hand before he fell with the collapsing ground. The Sargent stuck his knife into the dirt to get a foothold and he scrambled up but the other three marines fell into the abyss beneath them. The rock stopped falling and the Composer fell to its side with a crash but everything soon became still and silent. The dust settled then St Clare threw Taylor over the ridge and back onto firm ground. He then climbed back up just as the Sargent made his way back as well.

 _"It is a shame you did not all survive",_ the Observet said as she drifted up.

Taylor panted. "It's a good thing the main characters survived, isn't it?"

"Boy, you read too many damn comics!", The Sargent barked then clapped him over the head.

St Clare walked up to the edge of the hole. "My motion tracker can't sense anyone at a depth of twenty five meters, they're dead".

"Sir, I'll call in a retrieval team", Nautilus Seven said as he had regained his composure.

"Very good. Now, what I want to know is what's happening with this 'Grand Marshal'?"

The Observet looked at St Clare. _"The Grand Marshal has escaped via the Installation's integrated network but he could well be anywhere in this galaxy right now via the portal"._

"No, I can track him. When the Composer analyzed me, I accessed its databases which are linked to the Installation's. I lost a part of myself in the process but I have a faint link to him, he's still here".

"Where about on the ring is he?" St Clare asked.

"The portal room. I think he intends to get off world".

 _"He's going to the Composer's Forge. He intends to make a new body for himself"._

"How do you know?"

 _"It's only logical"._

"Where is this portal?"

"On the other side of the Installation, sir. Fortunately for us, the portal room was partially deconstructed by research teams in '53 who were trying to get at the inner workings. That should buy us some time as he tries to fix it", Nautilus Seven said.

"What of the research teams stationed there now?"

 _"He can access the Sentinels and the ring's defenses, they may already be dead"._

"I'm calling the Veto Power in now, sir".

A few minutes later, the team was cast in shadow as the massive vessel thundered into view then it stopped above them. A pelican swooped down to collect them moments later.

"Our mission sir?" Taylor asked as they loaded up onto the pelican.

"If what the Grand Marshal said is true, then he despises humanity. Of course, he was killed by humans although I have no idea how spears and rocks did that to a Forerunner".

 _"Oh definitely not, humanity was on the same technological tier as the Forerunners"._

St Clare took a moment to understand then waved his hand in a dismissive way. "Not going to ask. Anyway, if he's going to make a new body for himself then we need to stop him, there's no telling what a Forerunner can do if it gets out".

 _"The Grand Marshal is more than capable of wiping out humanity while it is in such a primitive state"._

[#]

The Veto Power flew through the clouds at full speed then broke the atmosphere and into the space between the ring as the portal was on the other side to them. Ten minutes later, they approached the land on the other side and the Veto swooped down and readjusted its trajectory.

"The Grand Marshal has activated particle cannons at the entrance to the portal and there are Sentinels patrolling around the area. It looks like it may take him a while to fix the portal considering he hasn't got a body at the moment", Nautilus Seven explained.

"Then we'll have to siege it on foot. From what I know, those particle cannons are sufficient to-", St Clare began.

"One shot Covenant CCS Class Cruisers", Taylor interjected.

"Yes".

"As we found out", the Sargent added then everyone turned to the Observet.

 _"What is it, humans?"_

"Anyway, is it possible to hack our way through and stop him?"

 _"The Grand Marshal has greater access than I do. We would need Abject Testament to regain control of the ring or Static Carillon to close the portal on the other side"._

"The monitor Abject Testament is absent from Installation 03, we do not know where he is", Nautilus Seven said.

"Then we take out the portal room from the ground as using the MAC is out of the question. Naut, prep the reserves", St Clare said.

"Yes, sir. We have three scorpions, five hogs and a falcon that are all battle ready. Forty marines and we can call in Spartan Black team if need be", Nautilus Seven replied.

"Very good", St Clare said then got up. "Observet, we'll need your help if we're to stop him. Only you know how these Forerunner systems work from the inside out. I'll take to the air via the falcon and drop behind the particle cannons to disable them so that the Veto can get closer to deploy the scorpions".

"Aye, sir", Nautilus Seven replied and set to work.

[#]

The Veto Power landed about twenty kilometers from the portal room and the falcon left the hangar and flew towards the target area. St Clare sat on the right hand grenade launcher with a squad of four marines beside him.

"We don't have the firepower to destroy the generator that powers the two particle cannons, but I have an idea".

"What's that, sir?"

"Those guns are anti ship weapons, they're too big to use on a falcon so we fly above it. The problem is those sentinels. Clear the airspace!"

The falcon roared forth and a swarm of sentinels became alert and sped towards them like a flock of crows. From this distance, St Clare could see that the two particle cannons were either side of the foot of a massive ramp that led to the portal room gate. The distance from cannons to gateway was perhaps two kilometers, so this building was huge.

"Sir, sentinels approaching", a marine announced and turned his turret.

"Fire EMP airbursts and knock them out", St Clare replied then swiveled his gun and fired off a grenade; he held the trigger down before detonating it in a swarm of sentinels. Three dropped and fell back to the ground where they exploded. The pilot gunned a few more down with his auto cannon and the other gunner downed another two.

"Sir, how exactly will we destroy the core? It would take our entire ammunition reserve".

St Clare peered over his gun and glanced at the core then rocked his head back as a sentinel beam fired through the space of the passenger area. "It's in the middle of the two particle cannons before the ramp starts but there are defensive walls in front of it, I guess no one anticipated an air drop".

"Air drop, sir?"

"Yeah, air drop", St Clare replied then moved the gun back and leaped out of the falcon.

"Sir, you are in Gen One MJOLNIR, you do not have jump jets like the Spartan Fours do", Nautilus Seven buzzed in his ear.

"I'm aware of that, Naut", St Clare said then punched a sentinel's eye out on the way down. He turned around and fell feet first. "I feel like an ODST". He weaved away from another sentinel beam then took out his DMR.

"Yes, well ODSTs tend to survive their jumps".

"Don't be so negative, Naut", he tutted then shot another sentinel's eye out with his DMR before replacing it to his back.

"One hundred meters before impact, sir. I hope you have a plan".

"Naut, divert all power to the shielding. Power down all but basic functions. Activate armor lock!" St Clare's armor began to glow and he streaked through the air like a little golden plasma torpedo.

"Oh, I see now, sir".

"You should trust me more often".

"I wish I was paired with another Spartan".

"I wish I got paired with Black Box instead", St Clare shot back.

"Black Box is a douchebag, sir".

"I know, now brace for impact!" St Clare shouted then flipped over and held his fist out like superman while rapidly approaching the core. He smashed through the generator and it exploded like a bomb from the sheer impact force. Blue light erupted from within and the two particle cannons stopped glowing and disassembled themselves into a powered down state.

"Is he dead?" One of the marines asked from the falcon above.

"Sir, you are bat-shit insane", Nautilus Seven jibed. St Clare staggered out of the burning generator building, his armor was scorched but more importantly he was alive.

"I wasn't sure if armor lock would be sufficient, I guess it is", he said then took out his DMR and prepared to fend off the approaching sentinels. "Call in the Veto to deploy the tank company".

"Aye, sir".


	3. Chapter 3

"The Mantle dictates that we must take action, but the Halos, _your_ Halos, are an abomination, Master Builder".

 _"Didact, I must protest. The Promethean Knights have not the numbers to defeat the Flood. The Librarian..."_

"The Librarian has no say in it, Observet. Faber, I will speak with the tribunal to delay your plans further. Until then, I depart for Requiem. I shall return to the Greater Ark when _my_ plans fall into place".

"So be it, Didact, but do not doubt the inevitable, the Halos will fire, and they will succeed where you have failed".

The Didact ignored the Master Builder then turned to the Observet floating beside him. "Come now, Observet. We return".

 _"I'm afraid that I have business with the Lifeworkers to attend to first. The All Seeing Glass waits for me"._

"Very well then, your vessel awaits". The Didact turned then stomped away from the meeting hall. The Mantle's Approach was waiting for him in the atmosphere for it was too big to land and the Observet's vessel was beside it. The Mantle was far larger, it was the size of some moons but the All Seeing Glass was still colossal nonetheless.

[#]

"The All Seeing Glass?" Nautilus Seven asked as part of his consciousness was down on the ground with St Clare.

 _"Yes, that's the name of my vessel, the one you named Rho Aias"._

"Naut, how long until the pelicans drop off the tanks?" St Clare shouted through the radio. Nautilus Seven was on the bridge in projection form and talking to the Observet while monitoring the battle net, Forerunner installation network and the Spartan's own situation on the ground.

"They're landing now, sir".

Back on the ground, St Clare was busy gunning down Sentinels while the falcon was keeping the airspace covered. He left the cover of the burning generator then ran through the open and leaped behind a palisade just as three sentinel beams scorched the ground beneath his feet. "I need them now, I can't fend off a thousand sentinels by myself".

"Then perhaps you shouldn't have jumped, sir", Nautilus Seven replied.

"Yeah well..."

"And there's two thousand sentinels, sir".

St Clare looked down the ramp and into the distance to see the pelicans fly back up to the Veto Power. He glanced back and up the two kilometer ramp. "Our tanks can't get through the defensive position unless the palisades are removed".

"Find me a terminal, sir, and I'll correct it".

"You're the one patched into the installation network, not me".

"Just find me a terminal, sir".

 _"Spartan, there is a terminal within the generator building that you just destroyed",_ the Observet said through his radio.

St Clare looked back then avoided another sentinel beam. The entrance to the generator building was disgorging blue flames and spitting sparks.

"It's a bit hot in there".

"It's our only option, sir. MJOLNIR is not equipped with fire extinguishers".

"It should be".

"I'll pitch it to the GEN 3 developers, sir".

The Lieutenant gunned down two approaching sentinels then proceeded to the entrance but the flames bit at him and soot smudged his visor. "What the hell is burning in there?"

"Some form of plasma, sir".

"The Forerunners don't use plasma though?"

"Don't ask me, sir".

"You're the smart one".

"You know we hear everything you say, right?" The Sargent interjected on the radio.

"Alright, commit all power to the shields. Is there anything we can do to bolster the gel layer?"

"No. Get in there already, sir".

St Clare shook his head then proceeded into the blazing plasma flame and activated his filters then scanned the room for the terminal. The ruptured casing of the generator was burning like a star and he could feel the intense heat even through his armor and gel layer beneath his suit.

"There's the terminal", he said then took Nautilus Seven's chip from the back of his helmet then tapped the terminal to activate it. "It's still functional".

"It would be silly to think that mere plasma fire can destroy the Forerunner alloy", Nautilus Seven said as St Clare inserted the chip into the terminal. "It's done, sir".

"So much for security".

"There was none, sir".

"You work much faster than most ", St Clare remarked then removed the chip. He turned away then a massive gout of plasma fire erupted in his face and made him stagger back. He hissed then pushed through it and left the generator room. His armor was charred and blackened and he wiped the soot from his visor.

"I make Cortana look like a chump, sir".

"Black Box makes you look like a chump".

"Stop comparing me to Black Box".

"You didn't say sir afterwards".

"It's not standard protocol, _sir"._

The scorpions rolled up to the foot of the ramp then stopped before they passed where the palisades had been. The Sargent opened the hatch then poked his head out. "About time!".

"Don't act like you were waiting", St Clare replied then hopped onboard and took control of the machine gun turret at the front. The Sargent closed the hatch then signaled the other tanks to advance.

"There are light particle cannons lining the ramp. It's two kilometers until the entrance to the portal facility", St Clare explained then checked the gun. "And by light I mean light in Forerunner standards".

"So by that definition you mean they're still anti ship weapons then", the Sargent replied.

"That might be stretching it a bit".

The front scorpion rumbled up the ramp and the other two scorpions followed close behind. The falcon was still busy dealing with the sentinels above them.

"Sir, the falcon's taken a hit to the engine. It needs to retreat", Nautilus Seven announced.

"Permission granted. Send in an armed pelican to replace it".

"Putting the request through now, sir".

The scorpions rolled forth and St Clare's one turned its turret to the closest particle cannon then fired a shell into it before it had finished charging. "We shoot them down in intervals as there's one per side every thirty meters lining the ramp, as every two get into range the first two scorps gun them down then the last one covers us, got it? That way we don't give them the chance to fire on us. Use the machine guns to swat down any sentinels".

"Aye, sir".

"Got it".

"Let's kick some Forerunner ass".

[#]

Back onboard the Veto Power, Lance Corporal Taylor reviewed the battle-net despite the fact that Nautilus Seven could do it in an instant. He twiddled his thumbs and tried not to look bored. The Observet was reading an old human book. The other bridge crew members remained at their stations and maintained the ship's functions.

"Looks like they're winning", Taylor said then scuffed his boot against the floor, the Observet said nothing then flicked a page, then flicked another in quick succession.

"You read very quickly".

Silence.

"You know..."

 _"Who is this Sauron?"_ The Observet said suddenly. " _He is a sin against the Mantle of Responsibility"._

"Oh", Taylor chuckled. "That's a fiction book, that isn't human history".

 _"The previous human record I analyzed contained a being who was living yet had a skeletal body"._

"Did he summon fire and fly and have a nice hat?"

 _"Hat?"_

"Never mind", Taylor shook his head then began to whistle. He glanced at the 3d map then zoomed in on the gateway to the portal facility. "Wait a second..." He leaned in closer. "Our tanks won't be able to get through that entrance and not even MJOLNIR could stand up to a Forerunner ambush from the other side". He looked over at the Observet.

 _"You're correct. The instance they enter, they will be overwhelmed"._

"So why didn't you tell them? And why aren't you helping?"

 _"I seek knowledge, for knowledge is power"._

"I can't let them walk into a trap". Taylor stood up then left the bridge in a hurry.

The Observet closed the book as she finished. _"Poor human, to be fired upon by such foul creatures. At least he died a noble death"._

[#]

Ten minutes later, Taylor led the Sangheilli called Moriggamee into the bridge by the handcuffs.

 _"Human, I find this crafting information manual intriguing. Where may I obtain these 'War-Hammers'?"_

"No time for that. Can you tell Moriggamee to tell his Hunter friend to fight for us?"

 _"I fail to see your reasoning, Human"._

"Our troops can't breach a Forerunner security system on foot, especially not one where the occupant knows we're coming, our armor isn't strong enough, so we get the Hunter to do it. Moriggamee won't listen to me but he will listen to you".

 _"I can speak to the Mgalekgolo myself"._

"There's no point, Hunters don't worship the Forerunners but they will listen to the Elites".

The Observet put the modelling manual down then drifted over to the Sangheilli. _"Very well. Sangheilli, I wish for you to inform your ally, the Mgalekgolo, that he is required"._

Moriggamee observed the Forerunner, not sure whether to stand or kneel considering his now conflicting beliefs. "The Mgalekgolo cares little for Human sentiment, he would not fight to preserve their lives".

"Would he fight to preserve yours? If the Grand Marshal escapes then we're all dead", Taylor said.

Moriggamee grunted then reluctantly nodded his head. "So be it. I will convince the Mgalekgolo to aid you but on one condition; I fight for the Forerunner".

 _"I accept your noble offer, you may join the Humans at my request"._

"Sorry, Observet, but you don't get to make that call", Nautilus Seven appeared as his hologram. He had been monitoring everything from the battle below to the local news back on Earth.

 _"I uphold the Mantle of Responsibility and when the Mantle is threatened, I possess the greatest authority in the galaxy for I am Forerunner. Now do as I request, the Sangheilli and the Mgalekgolo are willing to fight for the Mantle and so I shall ensure that they do"._

"It's the Lieutenant's choice not..."

 _"Begone, Ancilla",_ the Observet said and waved her hand then Nautilus Seven was purged from the Veto Power's systems.

"St Clare won't be happy with that", Taylor said then began to un-cuff Moriggamee.

[#]

"That little bitch!", Nautilus Seven cursed loudly in St Clare's ear.

"Ow, what did she do?"

"She purged me from the system, sir. She has complete control of the Veto".

"What? Why?"

"I said no to her".

"She's not stealing it, is she?"

"No, she just didn't want me there. I lost my memory data from the ship though".

"Harsh".

"I know right?"

"Sir?"

"I know right, sir", Nautilus Seven said sarcastically.

"I'm sure she'll give it back to us, she needs us. Now let's focus on getting through that gate". St Clare climbed out of the tank and leaped to the ground at the top of the ramp before the gate. The other two scorpions stopped beside the first, one of them was smoking a bit from where it had been hit by a particle cannon. The pelican gunship was circling overhead in order to keep the airspace clear as the falcon had fallen back.

"I would have called the Veto in closer but the Observet stole it", Nautilus Seven said sadly. St Clare observed the area around the gate. All of the outer defenses had been eliminated with no casualties, except for Nautilus Seven's feelings.

"Naut, can you hack that door open?" St Clare asked as the marines got out of the tanks.

"Of course, sir. So long as the Grand Marshal isn't accessing it at that time then I'm sure I can overcome the security".

"YOUR ATTEMPTS ARE FUTILE, HUMANS. YOU HAVE BEEN FOOLED", the Grand Marshal boomed but his voice drifted away as suddenly as it had appeared.

"I don't know what he means by that, but we need to get in there and destroy the portal controls".

"Sir, the doors are opening now", Nautilus Seven announced.

St Clare readied his DMR and the Sargent along with his marines crept forwards and into the corridor. "No welcome party, eh?" The Sargent said then scratched his chin. A purple light at the end of the corridor shone from a terminal screen which illuminated the bodies of the research team.

"YOUR AUDACITY HAS BLINDED YOU, NOW YOUR LIVES ARE MINE", the Grand Marshal said again. The light flickered then went out, plunging the corridor into darkness.

"Activate night vision, we..." St Clare stopped mid-sentence as the light enveloped them again and the walls around them suddenly dematerialized to reveal a massive chamber. They shied away from the light and St Clare activated his filters to look through it and upon a podium behind the terminal, stood a massive figure.

"TOO LATE, HUMANS. REACHING THE COMPOSER'S FORGE WAS TRIVIAL, BUT YOUR DEATHS? EVEN MORE SO! YOU ARE ALL TOO EASY TO FOOL". The massive figure, perhaps twelve feet tall, leaped down and his segmented joints came apart then floated back together. Purple light shone between his armor plates and a fanged skull was set beneath his helmet that reminded St Clare of a Greek Hoplite's helm. A hard-light plume adorned his crown and he shone with radiant light in a divine manner.

"That's the Grand Marshal, sir", Nautilus Seven announced. After being purged from the Veto Power, he had lost all memory of what had happened aboard the ship except for the fact he was cast out.

"I figured. Alright, bring him down!" St Clare ordered then drew his railgun. He charged up the Whiplash then fired the supersonic sabot straight at his body, the projectile smashed into the Grand Marshal but merely forced him back a step. "Damnit".

The Grand Marshal sneered then blinked directly in front of the squad in an instance. He raised his fist to crush St Clare so he instinctively slammed his own fist into the ground to activated his armor lock. A blast of energy exploded outwards as the Forerunner struck the armor and sent everyone else flying backwards.

The Forerunner reared up to observe the rapidly glowing Spartan Three then waved his hand and disabled the energy shielding with ease. St Clare fell to the ground from the sudden loss of power.

"Sir, he has disabled all powered functions of your armor", Nautilus Seven said then his voice crackled out and left the Spartan behind.

"Alright, take this you son-of-a-bitch!" The Sargent roared then opened fire with a SAW. The shells buzzed against the Forerunner and he raised his hand to block the bullets, one got through and smashed into his hard-light skull and made him flinch.

"PATHETIC HUMANS, YOU CANNOT HOPE TO STOP YOUR DESTRUCTION!" He reached out and grabbed the Sargent with his constraint field and raised him up, he dropped the SAW and tried to resist.

"YOUR KIND NEVER UNDERSTOOD, YOU CAN NEVER UNDERSTAND".

St Clare struggled up but his unpowered armor weighed him down. He staggered to his feet then attempted to tackle the Forerunner's leg but the Grand Marshal kicked him flying out of sight with a flick of his foot.

"Shit..." the Sargent swore under his breath. One of the other marines ran into view and emptied his assault rifle magazine into the Forerunner. He responded by grabbing him with his other hand's constraint field then blitzing his body in an instant with a squeeze of his fingers.

"FUTILE..." The Grand Marshal rumbled then turned his attention back to the Sargent. "YOU SEEM INTELLIGENT ENOUGH, TELL ME, WHAT IS HUMANITY'S GOAL IN SQUANDERING FORERUNNER ACHIEVEMENTS? WHY DO YOU ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE MANTLE OF RESPONSIBILITY?"

The Sargent glared at the Grand Marshal and remained silent. He was raised higher into the air and the Grand Marshal sneered. "PERHAPS THE WARRIOR WILL KNOW. FAREWELL HUMAN, YOU HAVE BEEN OF LITTLE USE TO..."

The Grand Marshal was forced back suddenly and he collided with the portal terminal and crumpled it, the light faded as it powered down. The clank of massive footsteps echoed throughout the room as the Hunter stormed forth with his shield raised. It grumbled then blasted the Forerunner with his assault cannon.

"AAARRGH!" The Forerunner's face was seared and a deep gash was set into his chest from where the Hunter had swung its shield.

"W-what the hell is going on?" The Sargent struggled to say as he staggered back up from the ground after falling ten feet.

Moriggamee charged in with his concussion rifle and began blasting the Grand Marshal. Lance Corporal Taylor ran in and stopped beside the Sargent.

"Thanks, kid", the Sargent grunted.

"Where's the Lieutenant?" Taylor asked then set his rifle down on the ground to check the Sargent for wounds.

"No idea, he got kicked into oblivion from what I saw".

"HOW DARE YOU!" The Grand Marshal roared then stood back up. He held out his hand and fired a bolt of energy at the Hunter who raised his shield to block it. "IMPUNITY!"

"Go get him!" Taylor shouted encouragement to the Hunter. It stopped before the Forerunner and reared to full height, making it slightly taller than even the construct of the Grand Marshal.

"How the hell did you get them to fight?" The Sargent asked then grabbed his SAW.

"The Observet convinced them".

"Where is she now?"

"Still on the Veto".

The Grand Marshal glared at the Hunter and the Hunter remained calm and steady, even a live Forerunner did not faze it in the slightest. The Hunter raised its shield then swung which the Grand Marshal caught and pushed it back which forced the Hunter around, he aimed an energy bolt and blasted the Mgalekgolo in the back.

"Oh shit, he did not just..."

"Yeah, he did".

The Hunter turned back to the Grand Marshal and roared in fury. The Forerunner stood up straighter then his fists began to glow like miniature stars. "COME THEN, FIGHT ME IN EARNEST!" The Hunter roared again then charged the Forerunner and rammed into him with the force to flip a battle tank. St Clare staggered back into the room and looked around.

"Sir, the suit's systems have recycled their power grid and are now fully functional. I'm glad you survived", Nautilus Seven announced.

St Clare took his DMR from his back. "Taylor, you did this?"

"Do I get a promotion?" Taylor asked with a grin.

Moriggamee drew an energy sword and joined the melee between the Hunter and the Forerunner. St Clare sprinted across the room to join the marines.

"I don't know if we can kill him, so we need to stop him from leaving the Halo", the Sargent said.

"Well, we failed to prevent him from reaching the Composer's Forge and he didn't even have a body. He had fixed the portal and made a new body before we even called in the tanks so I don't know how to beat him now, none of our weapons work", St Clare said.

"ENOUGH!" The Grand Marshal roared then a pulse of energy erupted from him and stunned everyone, including the Hunter. The Forerunner took one last look at St Clare then stepped back and de-materialized to escape.

"God damnit, he could be anywhere!" The Sargent cursed.

"Naut, can you track him?" St Clare asked.

"No, not accurately, sir. The Sargent is quite right, he could be anywhere on this Halo. The portal terminal was destroyed in the fight so he can not longer reach the Composer's Forge to leave without repairing it again".

"We return to the Veto, we need the Observet's help if we're to stop him", St Clare said then turned to leave the portal room.

The Sargent walked passed the Hunter to follow but stopped to pat its shield arm. "Good work", he said and the Hunter grumbled.

"Sir, I'm calling in the pelican gunship as the one parked outside is required to transport the Mgalekgolo and the Sangheilli", Nautilus Seven said.

"Very good. Alright team, move out!" St Clare announced.

"Oh and sir?"

"What is it Naut?"

"I did pick up something from the Installation network".

St Clare stopped mid-step. "What did you find?"

"The Grand Marshal intends to fire the Halo, sir".


	4. Chapter 4

**2554, Installation 03, the Khaphrae system.**

Lieutenant St Clare marched onto the bridge of the Veto Power with the Sargent and Taylor behind him. "I'm reclaiming control of this vessel, withdraw from the integrated network at once".

The Observet turned away from talking to Corporal Rog. _"On who's authority?"_

St Clare drew his Whiplash and aimed it right at the Observet's head. "I am authorizing myself to claim the job of upholding the Mantle of Responsibility. You proved your negligence by taking no active role in preventing the Grand Marshal from creating a new body or from escaping us and thus you are being removed from power".

"Well done, sir. You remembered every word to the letter. Invoking superiority is the only way to get her cooperation now", Nautilus Seven buzzed in his ear.

The Observet was motionless but appeared to stare at St Clare from beneath her helmet. _"I was right, humans are worthy of upholding the Mantle of Responsibility"._

St Clare lowered his weapon. "You mean that you wanted us to prove to you that we could be responsible by doing nothing?"

 _"Indeed, I believe that you are capable of protecting the galaxy now. I release my control of the vessel to you"._

"Well that went smoother than expected", Taylor said but the Sargent clapped him over the head with his hand.

St Clare moved past the Observet and checked a screen. "We need to come up with a plan to stop the Grand Marshal. I have no ideas exactly but the final option is to nuke the Halo from orbit after evacuating it".

"Sir, by the process of elimination, I can conclude that the Grand Marshal seeks the activation index", Nautilus Seven said.

"Where is the index?"

"At Heraklion Base, sir".

"Oh shit", the Sargent swore then left the bridge with Taylor close behind.

"Corporal Rog, set a course for Heraklion base, now!"

"Aye, sir!" Rog replied then leaped into the helm seat.

"Sir, it will take me a moment to regain full control of the Veto. Please insert the chip into the controls", Nautilus Seven said and the Lieutenant complied.

"How exactly will he take it? Walk straight into the base?" Rog asked. "Can he do that?"

"No idea. Observet, what's the greatest amount of punishment that the Grand Marshal can take before his body is destroyed?" St Clare asked.

 _"Fortunately, humans, he is no longer flesh and blood therefore he does not possess adaptive armor like I myself wear. He is a Promethean construct and so he is susceptible to energy based damage. If he were to wear adaptive armor, he would be nigh invincible, like the Didact. The Grand Marshal has a very similar body to the Warden Eternal's"._

"Who?" Everyone asked at once.

 _"The Warden Eternal, the keeper of the Domain"._

St Clare waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, I don't care anymore. Let's focus on getting to Heraklion base quickly".

[#]

 _"Ancilla, I must say that you are coping well after the extraction of the Grand Marshal's geas",_ the Observet said as she drifted around the bridge of the Veto Power while they were in transit.

"I'd say that I didn't have the time to think about it, but in A.I terms, two years have passed since it happened", Nautilus Seven replied and projected himself onto the deck. "Also, I want an apology for purging me from my own ship".

"Leave it, Naut", St Clare said with a dismissive wave of his hand. He sat in his command throne at the back of the bridge and was reading a data slate. "Sarge and Taylor, how's repairs going on the scorpions and do we have enough equipment and men to help defend Heraklion base?"

"Repairs are almost complete, and we have enough to help. The falcon needs a new engine though which we don't have", Taylor replied.

"We can get one from Heraklion base after we've stopped the Grand Marshal", St Clare replied then turned off the data slate.

"Sir, I'm picking up radio chatter but I don't understand the language. Heraklion base has also picked it up", Nautilus Seven announced.

"Keep scanning, then...", St Clare began then glanced out of the window to see multiple aircraft literally phase into existence with a large flying machine in the center of the cluster. "The hell?"

The Observet looked out of the window as well, at the aircraft that were keeping pace with one of ONI's best starships at full speed with the new Forerunner upgrades. _"Humans, activate your shielding, I have upgraded it further by inserting new experimental algorithms. The Grand Marshal approaches"._

St Clare jumped out of his seat then ran to the window. "What are those?"

 _"Those are Phaeton Atmospheric Craft and in the center is a Warsphinx"._

Nautilus Seven's avatar pulsed red quickly in slight panic. "I heard Warsphinx, activating emergency slipspace jump!"

"No, don't! If we don't fight him here, he'll reach Heraklion base", St Clare replied. "All personnel, prepare to repel!"

[#]

Taylor and the Sargent looked around at the pulsing red warning lights and St Clare's order. "Shit..."

"Un-cuff me and I'll help you again, humans", Moriggamee grunted.

Taylor looked at the Sargent and he nodded. "Are we being boarded?" The Elite asked.

"I don't know but be ready", Taylor replied.

The Hunter only stopped pushing the Scorpion tank into bay three after the Sargent slammed his fist on his shield a few times to get his attention. "Oi, big guy, we need you on hand!"

"Grregg-huit-frarrll-verrm", the Hunter replied by vibrating its body. He then laughed in a somewhat menacing manner.

"The fuck he say?" The Sargent turned to Moriggamee and asked.

"He said: 'you push this tank then'", the Sangheilli replied then clacked his mandibles together.

"He ain't afraid of anything, is he?"

"Well, he did get into a fist-fight with a Forerunner with no shits given", Taylor said.

"Point taken".

[#]

A Phaeton flew close to the bridge and then turned its weapons to face them. "It's inside the shielding, get down!" Corporal Rog exclaimed then leaped to the ground but the Observet waved her hand and disabled it in an instant, it fell behind the Veto and got incinerated by the engines on the way back.

St Clare hauled the corporal up and threw him back into his chair. "I'm taking the Falcon and..."

"The Falcon needs a new engine, sir. Nor is it fast enough", Nautilus Seven said.

"I'm taking the Pelican gunship and I'll draw their attention away from the Veto", St Clare corrected himself then left the bridge and ran down the hall. "Taylor, prep the gunship for me and get ready, we're taking the fight to him". St Clare stopped then ran back to the bridge and snatched the A.I chip from the database then inserted into the back of his helmet and left again.

"Aye, sir. Are you piloting?" Taylor replied then jogged over to the gunship. A few minutes later, St Clare ran into the hangar then leaped the railings and thundered onto the deck. "I'll take that as a yes".

"Where are my weapons?"

"Over there, sir", the Sargent said. "I took the liberty of opening the experimental weapons unit in the ship's vault after seeing how the Whiplash did jack shit to that Forerunner". He walked over to the gun cabinet and took out the Lieutenant's DMR then threw it to the Spartan. He then unclipped a black cover case and hauled it out of the temporary storage locker.

"What's that?" St Clare asked then took the black case while placing the DMR on his back.

"That, sir, is the Arclight. An experimental railgun in the early test phases. It packs a bigger punch than the Whiplash or the standard Railgun".

St Clare took it out of its case then turned it over, its freshly painted white, green and red pattern shone in the light of the hangar bay. "I like it, thanks".

"Use just like a normal Railgun except it takes longer to charge, you can hold it down indefinitely though and each sabot is high explosive".

St Clare nodded his appreciation then jogged over to the Pelican gunship. "Good luck, sir", Taylor said. The Lieutenant ran to the cockpit then powered up the engines after Taylor got clear. "Naut, use the AA guns to clear the airspace around the hangar".

"Aye, sir".

The Pelican's engines flared into life then it rocketed out of the hangar bay and into the atmosphere between the sides of the Halo ring. It flew beside the Veto Power then began to fall behind a bit so St Clare hit the thrusters and fired up the after burners to catch up. The AA guns on the right side turned to face the Phaetons and gunned one down, it exploded in luminous purple light then its debris fell in all directions for there was no center of gravity in the middle of a Halo.

 _"Spartan, you may find it interesting that the hard-light color of a Promethean depends on that of their commander",_ the Observet said out of nowhere.

"Um, alright", St Clare replied then accessed the autocannon controls. He aimed the main gun at another Phaeton then shot its rear end up and it erupted in dazzling light. He flew to the mid section of the Veto then powered up the Spartan Laser mounted on the nose of the gunship to try and gun down two perfectly lined up Phaetons at once. He released the blinding red laser but the two Forerunner aircraft both evaded it instantly, one phasing to the right and one to the left.

"You can dodge lasers now?" He checked the scanners and glanced to his right then realized that the Warsphinx was no longer within the cluster of Phaetons. "Naut, where did the Grand Marshal go?"

"No idea, sir. He is no longer... oh, wait. He's behind you now, sir".

St Clare's eyes widened beneath his helmet then he almost ripped the joystick out of its socket as he forced the gunship into an emergency barrel roll. A colossal beam of searing energy whooshed passed him by mere inches and disappeared into the atmosphere.

"Holy..." The Lieutenant pulled the control column back then flew up and around so that he was now flying even beside the Warsphinx. It's legs were tucked under its body and its arms held out like wings. The cockpit was not like a standard human one but more like that of a face. Anti aircraft shells thundered against the Warsphinx but they hit a shimmering hemisphere and failed to damage the craft. The Forerunner didn't even pay the guns any attention.

"Naut, did you see that?"

"Of course, sir. It was me who fired at him".

"I don't know if we have the power to take him out".

"Of course we do, sir. Lead him to the front of the Veto, about a kilometer will do".

"I like your thinking. Alright, don't miss".

"I can't, sir, I'm perfect at everything".

"That sounds a lot like what Black Box would say". St Clare shook his head then flew past the Warsphinx and it followed after him. Its arms moved to the side then it unleashed a hail of hard-light missiles which screamed towards the Pelican gunship.

"Flare's won't work, sir. The Observet has an idea. I hope MJOLNIR is whiplash resistant".

"Whatever it is, do it quickly".

[#]

 _"I can not guarantee that this will work at such ranged, but I must try",_ the Observet said then held both of her hands out straight and pointed them at the Pelican flying past the bridge. Her armor pulsed with light and the air shimmered. The Pelican was literally ripped out of transit and pulled towards the right, within the Veto Power's shields via the Observet's constraint fields. The homing missiles pattered against the invisible barrier and failed to penetrate.

"Sir, I trust that you're alright? Your bio readings seem okay".

"My head is stuck in the window", St Clare mumbled through his radio.

"I hope that's a joke, sir". The clatter of glass rang faintly through the radio and St Clare grumbled to himself then rubbed his neck.

"We need a new cockpit window, Naut", St Clare said then powered up the Gunship again and blasted off into the atmosphere once more after shaking off the whiplash. "That was some smart thinking though".

"He's a tough one", Corporal Rog said then returned to his station.

The Warsphinx pursued the Pelican and charged up another energy beam. St Clare reached the front of the Veto then flew to the left to get directly in front of it which forced the Grand Marshal to power the weapon down.

"Observet, is the Warsphinx capable of penetrating the Veto Power's defenses?" Nautilus Seven asked.

The Forerunner turned away from the window and to the hologram of Nautilus Seven. _"Indeed, however he would never harm a fellow Warrior Servant, his honor still seems to be intact, even if his mind is not"._

"That makes me feel a lot safer", Nautilus Seven replied.

"Naut, you can't even die properly", Rog said and turned his head slightly.

"It's true, part of me is in Sydney talking with Black Box and Parangosky. Oh, but don't worry, they don't know what we're doing. I decided that this is too top secret for even the head of ONI and I've imposed a total communications blackout on Installation 03".

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Nope, I am fully authorized to do so. We're ONI after all, devious bastards to the devious bastards and all. They'll find out after we win this".

"How can you be so sure?"

"Way to stay positive, Rog", Nautilus Seven replied then his avatar faded away.

Back in the atmosphere, St Clare raced ahead of the Veto as the frigate slowed its engines to allow him to get in front. "Naut, is it ready?"

"I'm always ready, sir".

"You weren't ready for a Warsphinx".

"Yes I was, I wanted to activate the Cole Protocol, sir".

"I call it an overreaction".

The Warsphinx blasted through the air and flew in front of the Veto but behind the Pelican Gunship. Three Phaetons caught up as well and began firing on the bridge to distract the crew.

 _"Have no fear, humans. The Phaeton's weapons are designed to destroy organic life forms, specifically the Flood, as all Promethean weaponry are. They are ineffective against this vessel"._

"Yeah, but that Warsphinx is more than capable of taking us on", Rog replied. "Lieutenant, we're approaching Heraklion base, one hundred kilometers directly ahead, or below, I don't know, this is a Halo".

"Got it", St Clare replied then strafed to avoid a hail of missiles from the Phaetons. "Alright, lining up the Warsphinx".

"Sir, you'll no doubt be hit as well", Nautilus Seven protested.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine".

The Pelican Gunship and the Warsphinx shot through the atmosphere at thousands of miles per hour with the Veto Power thundering though the upper clouds behind them. "Naut, I'm veering off slightly, we can't accidently hit Heraklion Base".

"Aye, sir".

St Clare tapped some commands into the control panel then locked the joystick and unbuckled his seatbelt then left the cockpit. He jogged into the crew compartment and grabbed a jetpack off of the wall. He fastened it to his back and got his weapons ready.

"Alright, let him have it!"

"Affirmative sir, powering up the forward MAC. I hope he likes the big stick", Nautilus Seven replied and the front of the Veto Power began to glow blue. St Clare punched the door controls and the back hatch opened with a hiss. He took one glance at the Warsphinx's unsettling face then leaped out of the Pelican and into the air.

An earthshattering boom echoed throughout the Halo as the MAC cannon fired at a percentage of the speed of light. The hypersonic slug smashed the Warsphinx to pieces and carried on going, passing straight through the Pelican Gunship and blowing it to bits then slamming into the continent below which lit up the mountains and left a massive crater in the bedrock.

"We got him, sir. Warsphinx neutralized", Nautilus Seven declared.

St Clare glanced up as he was in free fall along with the remains of the Warsphinx. He saw the figure of the Grand Marshal blink to one of the Phaetons so he drew the Arclight and charged it up. He unleashed the sabot and it struck the nose of the Phaeton and flipped it upwards with incredible force, it lost power then collided with the unstoppable form of the Veto Power where it was obliterated on its shields.

"He's not dead yet!" St Clare shouted through his radio as he continued to plummet. He replaced the Arclight to his back and saw the Grand Marshal fall towards Heraklion Base but he was controlling his trajectory in order to land there.

"There's nothing we can do from up here, sir".

"Then I'll do it myself", St Clare replied then flipped himself around and activated his jetpack. He soared through the air in pursuit of the Grand Marshal who was oblivious to the approaching Spartan.

"There he goes again..." Nautilus Seven said to himself. "I'd say it's an uncalculated risk but I've already ran it through my simulations two hundred thousand times".

"No need to show off, Naut", Corporal Rog replied. "The MAC shell landed just ten kilometers off from Heraklion base by the way, are you sure ONI can get away with that?"

"ONI can get away with anything so long as you wave the badge", Nautilus Seven replied.

[#]

"Forerunner, it's time we tried this again!" St Clare announced then collided with the Grand Marshal with the force of a rocket. The impact was great enough to smash pieces of his body off.

"WARRIOR, YOU ARE A TROUBLESOME ONE!" The Grand Marshal replied then spun around but St Clare had grappled onto his neck despite being unable to choke an inorganic being. He drew his combat knife then began stabbing the Forerunner in his hard-light skull beneath his helmet. "AAARGGHH!"

"I hope you enjoyed the MAC!" St Clare retorted then ripped the knife up and inwards so that it was fully lodged in the skull with all but the end of the handle visible. The Grand Marshal's face began leaking a purplish fluorescent substance and roared in fury. The Forerunner shook the Spartan off then back-handed him away which cracked his visor.

"Do you know how hard MK V scout visors are to come by these days?" St Clare snarled then flew back with his jetpack and used the extra momentum to crack the Grand Marshal upside the jaw with his fist then he reached into his face and pulled the combat knife back out again then turned and severed one of the floating vertebrae connecting his neck to his body.

"HOW DARE YOU, IMPUDENT CREATURE!" The Forerunner roared in fury then sent a wave of energy in St Clare's direction but missed due to his quickly diminishing sight.

St Clare removed his jetpack and fastened it around the neck of the Grand Marshal then stabbed his combat knife into where the straps and vertebrae met to secure it. He then pushed off with his foot from the back of the Grand Marshal and drew the Arclight.

"From humanity, with love", St Clare said beneath his breath then released the sabot which connected and detonated both its explosive and the jetpack fuel. The Grand Marshal exploded in mid-flight and pieces of his body were blown off in all directions, one of which struck St Clare's visor again and made the crack bigger. The main body fell down to the ground but his head turned back to face the Spartan.

"I'M TAKING YOU WITH ME!" The Grand Marshal reached out and grabbed St Clare with his constraint field and dragged him down as well.

"Sir, you have lost your jetpack".

"I know, Naut", St Clare replied. "I'll survive".

"Two hundred meters and closing until impact, sir".

The Grand Marshal stared at St Clare as they fell, their trajectory lining up with the center of Heraklion base. "NO HUMAN IS A MATCH FOR ME, NOT FORTHENCHO, NOT YOU!"

"Time to find out", St Clare replied then activated armor-lock just before impact. In a split second, the Grand Marshal smashed into the tarmac of the runway in the center of Heraklion base then almost instantly after; St Clare collided with him which destroyed a large portion of a nearby Hornet as well.

After the dust and smoke settled, the Spartan stumbled out of the crater and collapsed onto the runway. "I hope I got him this time", he said with a cough.

"I hope so too, sir. You did hit him at over a thousand miles per hour whilst in armor-lock".

"Just an average Tuesday I guess".

"It's Friday, sir".

"YOU THINK THAT YOU HAVE ME BEATEN, YOU ARE WRONG", the Grand Marshal declared in an ominous voice then a hand gripped the edge of the crater and crumbled the tarmac. He hauled himself back up and onto the runway then he reared to full height. His armor was in pieces but little things were buzzing around him and he was glowing more now than ever.

"Sir, he has nanobots that are repairing his body".

"COME THEN, LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN, WARRIOR", the Forerunner stepped forwards and the Spartan drew the Arclight.

"Naut, I don't think I can take him again", St Clare said then readjusted his aim. He began to charge up the Arclight and held it there with the rail glowing profusely. The Grand Marshal waved his hand and knocked him to the side effortlessly which released the sabot and it smashed into an office window and blew the insides of the room out.

"Yeah, I can't do this solo", St Clare said then tried to stand back up.

"You don't need to!" A sniper's bullet crashed into the Grand Marshal's face followed by a hail of SAW rounds, a battle rifle burst then finally a Spartan Laser blew the Forerunner's head apart and he fell to the ground in pieces. St Clare looked around and saw Spartan Black Team jog up to him. Black Three held out his hand for the Lieutenant to take and he gratefully accepted it.

"Thanks", St Clare said then picked the Arclight back off the ground. "That guy just doesn't die".

"YOU WOULD BE CORRECT!" The Grand Marshal gurgled and his body stood back up. His head began to repair itself and his body knitted back together.

"We can beat him", Black One said then aimed his battle rifle. "Two, go back and snipe, Four follow suite with the laser. Three, with me".

"Let's take him down".


	5. Chapter 5

**2554, Heraklion Base, Installation 03.**

"MORE WARRIORS? YOU ARE TROUBLESOME!" The Grand Marshal bellowed. St Clare and Black Team steadied their weapons and kept them aimed at the Forerunner's head. "BUT WHAT YOU DO NOT SEE, IS THAT I ALREADY HAVE THE INDEX".

St Clare lowered the Arclight slightly. "What do you mean?"

"YOU WISH TO SILENCE ME ONCE AND FOR ALL, YET YOU DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT I MAY BE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE".

"Shit", Black One swore then cocked his head back to alert Black Two and Three. They nodded then turned and sprinted towards the base. A pelican roared overhead, St Clare recognized it as belonging to the Veto Power.

"Plan of action?" St Clare asked as the Grand Marshal finished repairing his body. His plates clicked back into place and he glowed brighter than before.

"Lead him away, we need the..." Black One was suddenly cut off as the approaching Pelican began hammering away at the Forerunner with its nose mounted auto cannons. The Grand Marshal scowled and shied away from the onslaught of bullets before raising his hand and forming a hardlight barrier in front of him.

"No time, lets get him while he's distracted. Four, hit him with the laser before we reach him", St Clare said then turned back to the Forerunner. "We've only got one chance to get close".

Black Four kept the laser ready and slowly charged it up in time with the other two Spartans' approach. The Spartan Three and the Spartan Two burst into a sprint just as the Grand Marshal dropped his barrier to disable the gunship with his constraint fields. Before he could activate them however, the Spartan Laser zapped through the air and struck him in the chest, burning through and out the other side. He staggered back just as the Spartans crashed into him. Black One leaped up and grappled his left arm and began pulling it out of its socket while St Clare held his right leg and activated armor lock to pin him down. He began glowing brightly and immobilized the Forerunner.

"GET AWAY FROM ME, PATHETIC HUMANS!" The Grand Marshal roared then reached over to yank Black One off but the targeting laser lit up his right arm then it was blasted off in a beam of red light. "DAMN YOU!"

"Good Work, Four", Black One said then heaved and tore the arm off of the Forerunner construct with his super-human strength. Plates and shrapnel clattered to the ground as the floating pieces that made up the arm collapsed. He then drew his knife and jammed it into the neck of his adversary.

St Clare released armor lock and the EMP burst out and staggered the Grand Marshal. He tried to kick the Spartan but St Clare weaved out of the way then dived behind him and leaped up onto the Forerunner's back. He unclipped a frag grenade then jammed it into the back plates and into the Grand Marshal's body cavity. He then reached up, grabbed his head then pulled himself up and over then he leaped forwards to escape. Black One pushed off the shoulder then back flipped twice to get away. Both Spartans landed like they were in an acrobatics performance.

"I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" The Grand Marshal roared in fury but was blown inside out in a fireball of shrapnel. His body was scattered across the airfield and peace returned to the area, until another explosion echoed from behind the main facility.

"Four, grab that bastard's head. Lieutenant, we need to reach the Index", Black One said then checked his battle rifle. St Clare nodded in response.

"I'm calling in men to watch over the Marshal's body, we don't want him reassembling himself", St Clare said as Black Four picked up the charred head of the Forerunner, its eyes were still glowing and a quite whine was emanating from within.

"Alright, let's go".

[#]

A few minutes later, the Pelican landed beside the crater that St Clare and the Grand Marshal had formed. The back hatch hissed open and Taylor, the Sargent, Moriggamee, the Hunter and two other marines marched down.

"We need to secure the area, those Spartans just totaled the Marshal but he's not dead yet", the Sargent informed the team. The Hunter stomped forwards and began analyzing the environment, a metal hand began to twitch beside him so he stamped down with almost five tons of force and reduced it to scrap. He grumbled something then began crunching up the remains of the Forerunner for fun.

"The Demons managed to defeat a Forerunner in physical combat? How?" Moriggmee asked as he watched the Hunter stomp around.

"They're better than you give them credit for", the Sargent replied then checked his surroundings for a second time.

[#]

St Clare, Black One and Black Four rounded the corner to the main gates of the base to find a towering construct above them. A second Warsphinx had landed and had begun razing the human base with its particle beam.

"Didn't he say that he had the Index already? Why is it still here?" Black Four asked and raised the laser.

"He's controlling it while his other body gets the Index from the..." St Clare began to explain then turned to see another Grand Marshal construct blow the main doors to the facility off its hinges with Black Two and Three being sent flying alongside it.

"He really did get it", Black One scowled. "It's protected by seven floors of security!"

"Security is no good when you can teleport through it", St Clare replied.

The Grand Marshal acknowledged the Spartans' presence then stepped over the unconscious Black Two and Three. He casually walked towards his Warsphinx and chuckled to himself, something unfitting of a Forerunner. Black Four began to charge the Spartan Laser but the war machine turned to him and its main gun began to glow, he promptly lowered his weapon.

"I HAVE MY VICTORY, THIS HALO IS MINE", the Marshal announced then teleported within his Warsphinx. "FAREWELL, TROUBLSOME HUMANS".

The Warsphinx began to rise into the air and its legs tucked in beneath it. Black Four fired up the laser but it struck a shield and failed to pass through. It then turned and blasted away from the base and into the atmosphere.

"We need to get back to the Gunship, we need to follow him".

"Screw that, take a Sabre. If he's going to activate Halo then you need to take him out as quickly as possible. I'll raise clearance and access the Sabre platform for you", Black One said then turned back to the airfield.

"Alright. This is Lieutenant St Clare to the UNSC Veto Power, do you copy?"

"Aye, sir", Corporal Rog replied.

"I'm sending it to pursue the Grand Marshal now, sir", Nautilus Seven said. "Double time to the Sabres now".

[#]

"Preliminary flight diagnostics. Engines operational, main armament..." St Clare cycled through the functions of the Sabre fighter.

"Powering up engines, blast off!" Nautilus Seven took control and launched the fighter before St Clare could finish. "No worries, sir. I completed preliminary checks before we even entered the vessel". The Sabre roared through the air directly up then turned and leveled out about a kilometer in the sky. "Releasing controls to you now, sir".

"Good work, Naut. Hit the boosters and catch up to the Veto, let's take out that Warsphinx and end this". The Sabre barreled through the sky in pursuit of the Warsphinx that was far in the distance but still visible. The UNSC Veto Power thundered through the atmosphere and now St Clare flew beside his vessel.

"This is Lance Corporal Taylor to Lieutenant St Clare, we've secured Heraklion Base, sir", the radio buzzed in his helmet.

"Good work, finish clean up then follow after the Veto", St Clare replied then closed the com channel to focus on the Grand Marshal's Warsphinx.

"Sir, this fighter is fitted with a HAVOK Nuclear Missile. It is sufficient to destroy the Warsphinx if my calculations based on the MAC are correct", Nautilus Seven said.

"We need the Index back though, we need to destroy his body without compromising the Index".

"I have a plan, sir".

"Tell me".

"You will need to find a way to destroy the Grand Marshal's last physical form, during those crucial few seconds, I should be capable of purging him from the Halo's integrated network thus killing his central processes, however it must be at the exact moment otherwise he will regain his composure and flee back into the network. I must strike when he is weakest and that's after his body is destroyed".

"Sounds good, anything else?"

"Yes, I must access a terminal before you destroy him, sir".

"What if we were to nuke the control room? That would stop him from being able to fire the Halo full stop, but then we'd still be left with him alive".

"I prefer the former option, sir. Destroying the control room while there is a science team present is not an option".

The Sabre activated its after burners and sped ahead of the Veto Power which had begun bombarding the Warsphinx with AA fire. "Notify the science team, get them out before we reach it".

"I already have, sir. Chances are, if you've thought about it, I did so last week in A.I terms. They are on their way back to Heraklion Base now".

The Pelican gunship that was carrying Taylor, the Sargent, the Hunter and Moriggamee caught up to the Veto then performed a tricky docking maneuver and landed in its hangar bay despite it travelling at Mach 4.

"Sir, the Composite Team has returned to the Veto".

"Very good, Naut", St Clare replied as he gained on the Warsphinx. It had sped up and thus gotten ahead of the Veto's guns. The Lieutenant accessed the fighter's weapons and fired a burst of 30mm rounds at the tail end of the sphinx but they flared on its energy shields and failed to penetrate, like most weapons. "I'm not entirely sure how we stop the Warsphinx, nothing works except nukes and MACs".

"It has come to my attention that because the Grand Marshal is no longer biological, he can no longer fire Halo without a human, sir".

"Really? Where will he get someone to fire the ring?"

 _"Spartan, I have reviewed your plans and they will not succeed. The Grand Marshal is more than just data, he is still alive in someway and so removing him from the system will not work. When he said that he would activate Halo, it was to be a suicide attempt for Earth is close enough to this installation to be effected. In order to truly destroy the Grand Marshal, you must activate Halo",_ the Observet said over the radio.

"Activating Halo in the middle of the galaxy is not an option", St Clare replied.

 _"No, no it is not, however you do not need to activate it within the confines of the galaxy. I am more than capable of moving this Installation to a slipspace node outside of the galaxy"._

"The Ark?" St Clare asked.

 _"No, Path Kethona. There is a Forerunner slipspace node there that I can remotely access by simply being present within the Halo's systems"._

"What's Path Kethona?"

"The Large Magellanic Cloud, sir. It is a galaxy which orbits our own. It is perhaps twice the distance from the Milky Way as the Ark is".

"And how certain are you that this will work?"

 _"Completely positive, however one of you must stay behind to activate the Halo. I will then return it to its location within the galaxy, however in order to do so I will need to recover the All Seeing Glass as I can not reach the Halo once it is outside the galaxy but that is not the issue, I can retrieve the Halo anytime after its activation. Ancilla, I require you to stay within the Halo's systems from the control room as you can prevent the Grand Marshal from preventing myself from moving the Halo"._

"You know that that means we need to evacuate all 984 personnel currently on this Halo?" Nautilus Seven said.

 _"Indeed"._

"Naut, send the Veto Power and everyone on it back to Heraklion base to assist in the evacuation. Take everyone to Ivanhoff Station, then the Observet can remotely activate the slipspace portal from there". St Clare remained silent for a moment after as they continued to pursue the Grand Marshal. "Naut, amplify this message through the Veto for me".

"Aye, sir".

St Clare cleared his throat. "This is Spartan Three, Lieutenant St Clare of the Office of Naval Intelligence, operating on all secure frequencies. All hear me now. As many of you know, there is a Forerunner artificial intelligence currently on this Halo, in order to remove its threat, I must activate Installation 03. I require each and everyone of you to evacuate to the nearby Ivanhoff Station so that I may remotely move Halo through slipspace to where it will be safe to fire. This is non-negotiable, leave your possessions and equipment behind for they will be unaffected, you may return to them once this is over. If you do not comply, the Halo will kill you. This is the only option, you have forty minutes", St Clare announced grimly over the radio. He took a deep breath then turned his attention back to the Warsphinx ahead of him. The Veto had turned around and was now heading back to Heraklion Base to assist in the evacuation. "Send Pelicans to remote locales to ensure everyone is accounted for, we don't have long but it's longer than I gave them, I just want them to be quick ".

"Very good, sir. I will ensure that everyone is evacuated. When we reach the control room, insert my chip into a terminal so that I may inhibit the Grand Marshal from blocking the Observet. I assume that this will be the last time we will work together, sir?"

St Clare thought for a moment. "Yes. Someone's got to activate Halo, I can't ask anymore from anyone else".

[#]

The lone Sabre continued its approach to the control room with the Warsphinx ahead of it. The massive spire like building came into view and the Lieutenant reduced thrust and switched off the after burners. "The Grand Marshal is preparing to land, sir".

"So are we", St Clare replied then activated the grav support and powered down the craft so that it may land on the open area outside of the control room.

"Over half of the Installation's personnel have been evacuated via the Veto Power, sir. The rest are boarding the UNSC Pantheon as we speak. It took 52 minutes but it's good time nonetheless", Nautilus Seven said.

"Very good. Out of curiosity, is it possible to disable this Halo from the Ark? We have presence there since last year's op, right?"

"Indeed, but it's too late now, sir. _Our_ curiosity caused this, and it's up to us to stop it".

St Clare acknowledged the statement then unbuckled himself and opened the cockpit with a hiss of the pressure systems. He leaped out to see that the Warsphinx had also landed and become immobile.

"Why isn't he controlling it remotely?"

"Because he needs a human to activate Halo, sir. Since you evacuated everyone else, you're the only human capable of doing so, at least, the only reason he didn't shoot back is because you were going to the same location therefore giving him easy access to a human. I ensured that he could not hear your broadcast".

"And I'm going to comply", St Clare replied and checked the weapons on his back. He removed his DMR and kept it at the ready to show that he wasn't complying for no good reason. "I'll insert you into the landing zone terminal".

"Thank you, sir", Nautilus Seven replied as the Spartan walked up to the terminal beside the doors and removed the A.I chip. He looked it over in thought before inserting the chip and leaving his A.I behind. He approached the doors and they opened for him. St Clare looked around at the cavernous control room to check for the Grand Marshal then looked up to see him sitting casually upon a throne at the far end.

"Welcome, Reclaimer", the Forerunner said for the first time in a none booming or threatening manner. "I see that you wish to sacrifice all life in this Installation's firing radius in order to kill me, but you are mistaken. I was always going to die here. My mind can not cope for I am but a copy of a copy of myself, I am in shards and so I shall greatly accept my death. My final victory shall be the eradication of Humankind, now come, activate this Installation for me, I die all the same. If you decide not to, then I will resort to other methods for your species' destruction, the Composer is more than suitable. The Fortress Class vessel hidden beneath this installation will ensure it is so".

St Clare lowered his weapon then looked to his right and saw the massive form of the Composer which filled the entire left side wall of the gargantuan room. "Why did you bring that with you?"

"Because it is housing my matrix and the primary systems that are keeping my mind from falling apart. I was extracted from your ancilla's own matrix as my geas was implanted by the Librarian into the man he used to be, however it went awry and that man died from natural causes, even the Lifeworkers could not be so precise as to ensure his survival 100,000 years later. If he had survived, If I had re-awoken in complete form, then perhaps things would have been different". The Forerunner narrowed his metal eyebrows. "But it is not so".

St Clare walked forward and placed his DMR on his back. "Checkmate, I guess", he said with a hint of surprise.

"I assume that is a human saying for accepting defeat?" The Forerunner asked.

St Clare looked up slowly. "Yeah, I, I suppose it is".

"Here, take the Activation Index", the Grand Marshal said and the Index floated over to St Clare. The Spartan Three took it then turned it over in his hands before turning his attention to the Index terminal.

"Dying here now, with a Forerunner of all people", St Clare jokingly said. "I'm barely an adult".

"Is there anything you wish to know, before you scour sentient life from this quadrant?"

St Clare considered it for a moment while finding the correct slot for the key. "The Mantle of Responsibility shelters all, yes?"

"Indeed, all life is precious to the Mantle and the Forerunners". The Grand Marshal crossed his leg over his knee and put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Then that's rather hypocritical of you", St Clare replied then slammed the Activation Index into Halo.

"It matters not", the Grand Marshal said. "Come now, Warrior. Embrace death at the expense of all sentient life but safe in knowing my destruction will ensure no harm comes to that which survives".

"What are you on about?"

"Have you not been listening, human?" The Grand Marshal asked in an irritated tone.

"Yes, but I don't know anything about destroying Humanity. I never said I would".

"Don't play me the fool", the Forerunner snapped.

"I'll play you like the flute, bitch. Observet, move the Halo", St Clare replied and put a hand to his ear to speak down the radio.

The Grand Marshal stood up at once but it was too late, the entirety of Installation 03 was consumed by the colossal black void of the slipspace portal that had flared into life and transported it instantly to the Large Magellanic Cloud's Forerunner satellite that had been sent there millions of years ago. It probably took the power output of a few stars but it worked. Now hundreds of thousands of light years from the Milky Way, it would have no effect when it fired.

"IMPOSSIBLE, I LOCKED HER OUT OF MY NETWORK!"

"Nautilus Seven has been busy, I guess you didn't notice him since you were once a part of his matrix so it didn't seem like anything was different, he was the perfect infiltrator to relinquish control", St Clare explained. The Halo's power generator began to speed up and glow bright blue, it was mere moments from releasing the greatest weapon in the universe.

"DAMN YOU!" The Grand Marshal boomed then held his fist out to crush St Clare with the constraint field.

"There's no point", St Clare replied and turned back to the stunned Grand Marshal whose skull was flaring beneath his helm in fury. "I've won", he said as he removed his helmet and cast it aside. "This was the final victory in your eyes, but the final word from my mouth". The Forerunner lowered his fist and stood back. Spartan Three Lieutenant St Clare stood up straighter and stared the Grand Marshal down.

"Halo".

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In his last moments, St Clare saw a blinding orange hazy light fill his vision. The power of Halo? No, it couldn't be. This was something different. The Halo's rhythmic hums had not hit zero yet but was perhaps a second or two from firing. He held out his hand and saw it burn but it didn't hurt him, he raised the other and it too began to disintegrate before his eyes. He looked to his side at his cherished helmet that he had cast off, a crack scarred it from the bottom left corner to the upper middle and he saw his face in its visor. He smiled.

"It has been an honor serving with you, sir", Nautilus Seven said while seemingly jerking back a non-existent tear. He would survive for he was a true A.I, unlike the Grand Marshal. "I hope we find you again, wherever you may be, wherever this takes you. Whatever happens to you, know that your story is not over yet".

St Clare's vision began to disappear, as did his body. He burst into flame, his armor vaporizing around him and all at once, it ceased, and he was naught but ash.

No, this was not the power of Halo.

Not at all.

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 **HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, Sydney, Australia.**

Serin Osman sat in her office at ONI HQ, she sighed for she had masses of paperwork that her secretary had given her that morning. She sipped her glass of water then turned the data pad over and set to work. A knock at the door stole her attention.

"Come in", she said, unsure why her secretary hadn't notified her, nor Black Box for that matter, of a visitor.

The door didn't open, instead a holographic foot stepped through and the reddish bronze colored digital form of Nautilus Seven appeared. He stood taller than a man for he was a Victorian diving suit, not a man. The drone that projected him then pushed the door open and hovered there, the light flickering from its lens.

"Nautilus Seven, reporting on behalf of Spartan Three Lieutenant St Clare", the A.I said then saluted the head of ONI.

"This is a surprise", Serin said. "Did you retrieve anything from the Rho Aias?"

"Yes, ma'am. A live Forerunner in fact", he replied then gestured to the door as the Observet floated through to greet them. Serin Osman bolted upright and put a hand on the security button.

 _"Calm yourself, human",_ the Observet said then removed her helmet for the first time to reveal an alien yet beautiful face. Its delicate features blended with her almost glowing pale skin and she smiled slightly from the corners of her mouth for she knew it was a human act of kindness. The helmet components slid behind her collar and clicked away. _"We have much to discuss"._

Serin removed her hand from the button but kept it close. She analyzed the being before her then finally spoke up. "This is going under the highest security ONI has, only the top brass will know of this, not even the rest of ONI", she said as her first thought.

"No worries, ma'am. I cleared it on your behalf and have set up a secure audit trail following the information that you are about to hear", Black Box said then appeared and hovered next to Nautilus Seven. "They have quite the story to tell, but have no fear, they saved the galaxy".

"Let me guess, someone tried to fire another Halo?" Serin replied then sat back in her chair. "It's always another bloody Halo".

The Observet approached and held out the palm of her hand then the legendary white MK V scout helmet of St Clare digitized into existence. She placed it upon the desk and stepped back slightly. _"This human claimed the Mantle of Responsibility, even in death. Now my question, human: can you?"_

"I'm not sure I understand", Serin replied then took the helmet and looked it over.

 _"This Warrior, is Forerunner"._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _To be continued..._


	6. Thought

**Thought**

* * *

"I am Forerunner?"

"Aya, by my hand your body has been forged into one of my great warrior servants, human".

"Explain. I don't feel right, I feel... like there's something else in here with me..."

"Indeed, somehow a shard of an ancilla became trapped within the composition process and now has crudely merged with your own consciousness, I suspect that it is why your mind has not fallen apart and shattered. The ancilla's functions that remained are keeping your mind from collapsing".

"Naut... no... wait, yes. Seven, the man in the iron suit. I remember him now. How long has it been?"

"My records indicate that four human cycles have passed since you first came to Requiem, but your essence has been stored until this day, now you are reborn, and I'm sure you'll serve me well. Human or not, you are my Promethean, you are my Forerunner".

"I- I do not recall much more than this fragment within me, who am I?"

"The Composer took data from your combat skin. You were called, St Clare".

"St Clare?"

"Aya, that is all I know of your past self, also I am aware that you slew the Grand Marshal, although I do not know how he returned from death. While he was a great ally of mine in the past, that accomplishment indicates that you are of great power and potential, that is why I have not rejected you, after all, you are a servant with free will".

"Who am I now?"

"Hmm, indeed, a name. Something that harkens back to your old self and new identity... you shall be... the Saint of the Mantle".

"Saint of the Mantle? The Mantle of Responsibility? I remember that... St Mantle, I like it".

"Indeed, embrace it, Warrior, you shall be a giant among mere mortals. Now rise, Forerunner, a Reclaimer approaches, and he is not alone..."


End file.
